Movements Afoot’s Blog

Working with Carola Trier
By Doris Pasteleur Hall

When I arrived in New York in 1975 I found the person that I would call my mentor  in the Pilates world. Her name was Carola Trier.  I realized when I met her that I had found the teacher, which would make me understand the essence of Pilates. Her mentoring instilled in me a sense of appreciation for good movement, an encouragement of opening my observations skills and the use of guiding hands to direct the quality of movement.

Carola had her studio in midtown Manhattan. She was one of the first protégés of Joseph Pilates. She was given permission to open her own studio while he was alive around 1958. You have to remember that this was a time before certifications and that the elders or first generation teachers where still in contact with Joseph as an ongoing apprentice association.  This association lasted years not weeks or some months. This type of apprentice association I also had with Carola. From the time that I began studying with her, to assisting and then to teaching took 5 years. I was one of the last teachers trained by her before she closed her studio.

My association with Carola began as a client. Carola always gave the first session and I have to say I remember it vividly. Carola was this very petite woman with long bones in black leotard and tights, beautiful coiffure hair with a voice that carried a strong German accent. She was a very dynamic woman. She placed you in front of a tall mirror surrounded with a white wooden frame on rollers. This was her introduction to your body posture/assessment. When that was done, then the session moved onto the reformer and finished with some mat. The session was one hour long. Carola would stay with a new client for at still the first 10-20 sessions. When the student/client became more confident then they were introduced to the other teachers. Everyone was on the same page with the teaching of the material and Carola had her eye everywhere.

Carola had a very good eye in terms of body alignment and sensing a flow of movement though the exercise.   An exercise that was accomplished meant there was a good balance of breath, concentration and flow. Concentration was exampled as being able to do an exercise correctly 3-10 times, depending on the exercise. The concept was that the third repetition should be as important as the first or fifth repetition. As one got better with the exercise the idea was that the last one might be even be the best one.  So concentrations of the mind as well as the body were then connected as one. When one accomplished this balance of concentration, breathe and flow over a certain amount of time then you processed to the next harder exercise. She did not tolerant doing things sloppily.  The best way that I can explain is this: first, you do A, when A has a good foundation then you move onto B. So as the years went by I got to experience all of the Pilates material, beginner to advanced with all of the equipment: Reformer, Cadillac, Wunda Chair, Ped-a Pul, big barrel and mat. It took about 3 years.

When you were given a new exercise, Carola always knew that, first you needed to a get a sense of the movement. Once you knew the exercise then corrections were given.  When the corrections were well applied then more detail of the exercise was specified. You always felt challenged mentally or physically. By the time you finished learning an exercise, all parts of the body had been given a connection to the whole body. The exercise slowly formed itself into something dynamic.

Thru the years, I would stay and hang around to observe what was being taught. When there was time, questions could be answered. Then one day you where asked to change a spring. Time spent in the studio infused a sense of trust, stimulated the observation skills and understanding of the Pilates material. At least that is the way I took it. When I did begin to teach I was given the more beginner exercises to teach and with time evolved to the more complex.  As a client/student or teaching, there was always a sense of building blocks. That was the common ground between being a client and being a teacher.